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"... many employers are biased against job applicants who have temporarily stayed at home with their children, even preferring laid-off applicants who have been out of work for the same amount of time." -- Kate Weisshaar

A recent Harvard Business Review article by Kate Weisshaar reported that parents (both moms and dads) who took time off from their careers to stay home with their children full-time are less likely to be interviewed for open positions than working parents who were laid off from their previous positions and out of work for the same length of time.

The article, which generated some emotionally charged reader comments, makes a case for juggling career and parenting responsibilities, if setting an example for your children via your career is important to you.

The Harvard Business Review mission is to improve the practice of management and its impact in a changing world. Kate Weisshaar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. She received her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and her doctorate degree from Stanford University.